BURMA Act of 2022
Latest action · Apr 7, 2022 Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedOct 5, 2021
- Passed HouseApr 6, 2022
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Burma Unified through Rigorous Military Accountability Act of 2022 or the BURMA Act of 2022
This bill imposes sanctions pertaining to Burma (Myanmar) and addresses related issues.
The President must impose property- and visa-blocking sanctions on certain foreign persons (i.e., an individual or entity), including those that (1) knowingly operate in Burma's defense sector, (2) are responsible for or complicit in undermining Burma's democratic processes, or (3) are senior leaders in Burma's military or government. The Department of the Treasury must prohibit or impose strict conditions on certain accounts used to facilitate transactions for such sanctioned persons.
The President may impose sanctions on Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise if such sanctions would support certain objectives, including reducing the Burmese military's ability to undermine democracy in Burma.
Before removing certain foreign persons from a list of specially designated nationals and blocked persons (commonly known as the SDN list), the President must certify to Congress that the person in question has not knowingly engaged in certain activities, such as supporting terrorism.
The bill authorizes Department of State and U.S. Agency for International Development activities in Burma and the surrounding region to support democracy activists, humanitarian assistance, and reconciliation efforts. The State Department may (1) continue to assist organizations supporting political prisoners in Burma, and (2) provide assistance to entities investigating crimes against humanity.
The President must direct U.S. representatives to the United Nations to vote and advocate for certain actions related to Burma, such as cutting off assistance to Burma's government.
Cosponsors 84
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Oct 5, 2021 to Apr 4, 2022; 23 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-NY | Adriano Espaillat | Original | Oct 5, 2021 |
| D-CA | Ami Bera | Original | Oct 5, 2021 |
| R-PA | Brian K. Fitzpatrick | Original | Oct 5, 2021 |
| R-NY | Claudia Tenney | Original | Oct 5, 2021 |
| D-OR | Earl Blumenauer | Original | Oct 5, 2021 |
| D-DC | Eleanor Holmes Norton | Original | Oct 5, 2021 |
| D-CA | Grace F. Napolitano | Original | Oct 5, 2021 |
| D-NY | Grace Meng | Original | Oct 5, 2021 |
| D-MN | Ilhan Omar | Original | Oct 5, 2021 |
| D-MA | James P. McGovern | Original | Oct 5, 2021 |
| D-TX | Joaquin Castro | Original | Oct 5, 2021 |
| D-CA | Juan Vargas | Original | Oct 5, 2021 |
| D-CA | Karen Bass | Original | Oct 5, 2021 |
| D-NC | Kathy E. Manning | Original | Oct 5, 2021 |
| D-FL | Lois Frankel | Original | Oct 5, 2021 |
| R-TX | Michael T. McCaul | Original | Oct 5, 2021 |
| R-MI | Peter Meijer | Original | Oct 5, 2021 |
| D-IL | Raja Krishnamoorthi | Original | Oct 5, 2021 |
| D-CA | Ro Khanna | Original | Oct 5, 2021 |
| R-OH | Steve Chabot | Original | Oct 5, 2021 |
| D-OR | Suzanne Bonamici | Original | Oct 5, 2021 |
| D-CA | Ted Lieu | Original | Oct 5, 2021 |
| R-CA | Young Kim | Original | Oct 5, 2021 |
| D-CA | Alan S. Lowenthal | Oct 15, 2021 | |
| D-CA | Anna G. Eshoo | Oct 15, 2021 | |
| D-MD | David J. Trone | Oct 15, 2021 | |
| D-MD | Jamie Raskin | Oct 15, 2021 | |
| D-PA | Susan Wild | Oct 15, 2021 | |
| D-HI | Ed Case | Oct 19, 2021 | |
| D-VA | Elaine G. Luria | Oct 19, 2021 | |
| D-CA | Jackie Speier | Oct 19, 2021 | |
| D-CA | Judy Chu | Oct 19, 2021 | |
| D-DE | Lisa Blunt Rochester | Oct 19, 2021 | |
| D-CA | Lucille Roybal-Allard | Oct 19, 2021 | |
| D-TN | Steve Cohen | Oct 19, 2021 | |
| D-NJ | Albio Sires | Oct 21, 2021 | |
| D-NJ | Andy Kim | Oct 21, 2021 | |
| D-CA | Brad Sherman | Oct 21, 2021 | |
| D-NV | Dina Titus | Oct 21, 2021 | |
| D-CA | Pete Aguilar | Oct 21, 2021 | |
| D-CA | Salud O. Carbajal | Oct 21, 2021 | |
| D-MA | William R. Keating | Oct 21, 2021 | |
| D-MI | Brenda L. Lawrence | Oct 28, 2021 | |
| R-FL | Gus M. Bilirakis | Oct 28, 2021 | |
| D-TN | Jim Cooper | Oct 28, 2021 | |
| D-TX | Lizzie Fletcher | Oct 28, 2021 | |
| R-MO | Ann Wagner | Nov 5, 2021 | |
| D-CA | Jerry McNerney | Nov 5, 2021 | |
| D-CA | Linda T. Sánchez | Nov 5, 2021 | |
| D-IL | Bradley Scott Schneider | Nov 15, 2021 | |
| D-CA | Jared Huffman | Nov 19, 2021 | |
| D-NY | Brian Higgins | Dec 8, 2021 | |
| D-CT | Jahana Hayes | Dec 20, 2021 | |
| D-FL | Val Butler Demings | Dec 20, 2021 | |
| R-UT | John R. Curtis | Jan 11, 2022 | |
| R-FL | Maria Elvira Salazar | Jan 11, 2022 | |
| D-IN | André Carson | Jan 18, 2022 | |
| R-KY | Andy Barr | Jan 18, 2022 | |
| R-TX | Ronny Jackson | Jan 18, 2022 | |
| R-CA | Michelle Steel | Jan 20, 2022 | |
| R-TX | Brian Babin | Jan 28, 2022 | |
| D-NH | Chris Pappas | Jan 28, 2022 | |
| R-VA | H. Morgan Griffith | Jan 28, 2022 | |
| D-CA | Julia Brownley | Jan 28, 2022 | |
| D-TX | Marc A. Veasey | Jan 28, 2022 | |
| D-MI | Andy Levin | Feb 1, 2022 | |
| D-CA | Jim Costa | Feb 1, 2022 | |
| D-NY | Antonio Delgado | Feb 9, 2022 | |
| D-VA | Gerald E. Connolly | Feb 9, 2022 | |
| D-CA | Norma J. Torres | Feb 9, 2022 | |
| R-IN | Jackie Walorski | Feb 18, 2022 | |
| D-CA | Scott H. Peters | Feb 18, 2022 | |
| D-CA | Mike Levin | Feb 22, 2022 | |
| D-WI | Ron Kind | Mar 1, 2022 | |
| D-IL | Janice D. Schakowsky | Mar 2, 2022 | |
| R-NE | Adrian Smith | Mar 15, 2022 | |
| D-VA | Donald S. Beyer, Jr. | Mar 15, 2022 | |
| R-UT | Blake D. Moore | Mar 24, 2022 | |
| D-MD | C. A. Dutch Ruppersberger | Apr 1, 2022 | |
| D-NM | Melanie A. Stansbury | Apr 1, 2022 | |
| D-RI | David N. Cicilline | Apr 4, 2022 | |
| D-NY | Hakeem S. Jeffries | Apr 4, 2022 | |
| D-MA | Seth Moulton | Apr 4, 2022 | |
| D-TX | Veronica Escobar | Apr 4, 2022 |
Committees 5
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Foreign Affairs Committee | Referred Oct 5, 2021Markup Oct 21, 2021 |
| House | Judiciary Committee | Referred Oct 5, 2021 |
| House | Financial Services Committee | Referred Oct 5, 2021 |
| House | Ways and Means Committee | Referred Oct 5, 2021 |
| Trade Subcommittee | Referred Oct 5, 2021 | |
| Senate | Foreign Relations Committee | Referred Apr 7, 2022 |
Actions 11
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Apr 7, 2022Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
- Apr 6, 2022Mr. Meeks moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
- Apr 6, 2022Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H4204-4212)
- Apr 6, 2022DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 5497.
- Apr 6, 2022Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H4204-4209)
In the Congressional Record 3
Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.
| Where | In the Record | Members | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senate | Debate and remarks S7235 | Benjamin L. Cardin D-MD | Dec 15, 2022 |
| House | Debate and remarks H4203, H4204–H4212Text printed H4204–H4209 | Anna G. Eshoo D-CA, Claudia Tenney R-NY, David N. Cicilline D-RI, Gregory W. Meeks D-NY, Sheila Jackson Lee D-TX, Steve Chabot R-OH | Apr 6, 2022 |
| House | Notices H4151Estimated budget effects of H.R. 5497, Burma Unified Through Rigorous Military Accountability (BURMA) Act | John A. Yarmuth D-KY | Apr 4, 2022 |
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Congressional Budget Office cost estimate
- Feb 14, 2022H.R. 5497, Burma Unified through Rigorous Military Accountability Act of 2021As ordered reported by the House Committee on Foreign Affairs on October 21, 2021
Constitutional authority
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 167, no. 175, October 5, 2021, page H5601.
Printed hearings 2
Hearings whose printed record names this bill, newest first: hearings on it, and wider hearings where it came up.
| Number | Hearing | Committee | Held |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serial No. 117-105 | THE BURMA CRISIS, ONE YEAR AFTER THE COUP54 pages | Foreign Affairs Committee | Feb 17, 2022 |
| Serial No. 117-85 | MARKUP OF VARIOUS MEASURES255 pages | Foreign Affairs Committee | Oct 21, 2021 |
CRS reports 1
Congressional Research Service work that CRS links to this bill or the law it became, newest first.
Cite it 1
Products on other subjects that cite it, usually among other measures.
| Product | Title | Kind | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| IF12331 | Burma: Background and Issues for Congress | Resource | Sep 2, 2025 |
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 2937 | BURMA Act of 2021 | Related bill | Oct 5, 2021 |
Titles 7
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To authorize humanitarian assistance and civil society support, promote democracy and human rights, and impose targeted sanctions with respect to human rights abuses in Burma, and for other purposes.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- Burma Unified through Rigorous Military Accountability Act of 2021
- BURMA Act of 2021
- Short Title(s) as Passed House
- BURMA Act of 2022
- Burma Unified through Rigorous Military Accountability Act of 2022
- Short Titles from RFS (Referred to Senate) bill text
- BURMA Act of 2022
- Burma Unified through Rigorous Military Accountability Act of 2022
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: International Affairs.
- Asia
- Bangladesh
- Bank accounts, deposits, capital
- Broadcasting, cable, digital technologies
- Burma
- China
- Conflicts and wars
- Congressional oversight
- Crimes against children
- Criminal investigation, prosecution, interrogation
- Detention of persons
- Diplomacy, foreign officials, Americans abroad
- Domestic violence and child abuse
- Drug trafficking and controlled substances
- Elections, voting, political campaign regulation
- Europe
- Evidence and witnesses
- Foreign aid and international relief
- Foreign and international banking
- Foreign and international corporations
- Foreign property
- Government ethics and transparency, public corruption
- Human rights
- International Affairs
- International monetary system and foreign exchange
- International organizations and cooperation
- Military assistance, sales, and agreements
- Military procurement, research, weapons development
- Mining
- News media and reporting
- Presidents and presidential powers, Vice Presidents
- Protest and dissent
- Racial and ethnic relations
- Refugees, asylum, displaced persons
- Religion
- Russia
- Sanctions
- Television and film
- Terrorism
- Thailand
- Trade restrictions
- United Nations
- Visas and passports
- War and emergency powers
- War crimes, genocide, crimes against humanity
- Women's rights
Text 3
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Apr 7, 2022Referred in Senate
- Apr 6, 2022Engrossed in House
- Oct 5, 2021Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
